[Sticky] General Press Cycle

The Conservative Party have shown yet again, that we are the party of reality. The deficit needs to be reduced, if we are to live within our means, while Labour live in cloud cuckoo land where no difficult decisions need to be made. Labour have shown that they have learned nothing. The deficit is on the increase again, and we have promised a reduction of the deficit by £18bn in one year. Whilst the Chancellor may like to spread lies on Twitter about the Conservatives increasing VAT rates, the Conservative Party is showing the true reality of the deficit and our plans on tackling this.

The plan laid out by the Shadow Chancellor is a critical reminder of what real fiscal policy should look like: effective, responsible, and rooted in the belief that Britain must prioritize eliminating our deficit. At a time when our country is starved for real leadership on economic growth, the Shadow Chancellor has made clear that if given the chance the Conservative Party is ready to right the ship from day one. While the Government seems fit to spend us into oblivion, callously increasing the deficit, a Conservative-led Government would cut £18 billion from the deficit and restore public confidence in British markets. The Shadow Chancellor's plan makes one thing very clear: the Conservatives are ready to lead when the Careless Coalition has failed.

The Shadow Chancellor's plan charts a course for economic prosperity, real growth, and meaningful fiscal responsibility. The Government may be comfortable saddling our children and grandchildren with the burden of a massive deficit, but the Conservative Party is not, and the Shadow Chancellor's plan proves it. Eliminating the deficit and reigning in public spending must be at the core of any Government's economic strategy. The bedrock of meaningful long-term growth is responsible spending and limited borrowing, as failing to right our nation's finances means we will never restore confidence in British markets. The British people, particularly British business owners and entrepreneurs, deserve to have a Government that will prioritize the credibility of our longterm financial wellbeing. It's increasingly clear that the British public will only have that sort of Government when the Conservative Party is returned to 10 Downing.

Labour will claim that we are increasing VAT. Labour will ignore the fact that we are proposing financially literate policies, whilst they are prepared to splash cash all over the place. Labour will ignore the fact that they are pushing us further and further into debt, with an increasing deficit. They will ignore the fact that we are proposing to scrap HS2, and invest money in existing railway systems. They ignore the fact that we will end the tampon tax. Yet, the Chancellor takes to Twitter to attack our policy on removing exemptions of VAT on gambling and betting. There is no need for an exemption. It isn't a vital service. Gambling and betting can become an addiction, and that can ruin people's lives - it's a very serious issue, but Labour's attitutde of late shows that not only are they prepared to plunge the country into debt, they are quite happy to assit people getting into personal debt.

The contrast between the Government's economic plan and that of the Conservative Party could not be more clear. While the Government is radically increasing spending and allowing the deficit to rise, a Conservative-led Government would cut £18 billion from the deficit on our first day in office. The Shadow Chancellor's plan provided a comprehensive, detailed blueprint on how we plan to cut the deficit and restore fiscal responsibility to the United Kingdom. In contrast the Government released a budget they had to withdraw twice, that borrows massive sums of money to finance radical spending programs, and that actually increase the deficit. The Government has abandoned their promise of deficit reduction altogether, while the Conservative Party has released a plan that stays true to the commitments we made to the British people. That's what real leadership is all about.

The Government is laser focused on the opinion polls and political opportunity at the cost of our nation's economy, a course of action the Conservative Party could never condone. The Government is pursuing short-term spending projects in the hopes of gaining popularity, knowing full well that unchecked spending will do nothing but erode confidence in our markets and the foundation of the economy. The Conservative Party, on the other hand, is committed to making the right economic decisions regardless of how they poll. We believe in action over useless politicking, and we're always going to be straight with the British people about the decisions that need to be made to restore economic prosperity to our country. The plan put forth by the Shadow Chancellor does just that, making it abundantly clear that we recognize that no longterm economic growth can be secured without first sorting our nation's finances. We'll leave the partisan grandstanding to the Government - the Conservative Party is more interested in getting on with the job.

Honesty is at the core of the Conservative Party's economic strategy - honesty about the steps we need to take to fix our public finances, and honesty about how we're going to deliver on the commitments we've made to the British people. We'll always be straight about our plans for the economy, because we believe in government that's run by the people and that aims to serve the people. We know that longterm economic growth cannot be secured without eliminating our deficit, which is why we're being upfront and transparent with our aim to prioritize cutting spending and tackling the deficit head on. As a party we also believe in the value of keeping our word, and that means honoring the promises we made during the last General Election. During the campaign we said we'd eliminate the deficit by 2019, and the plan released today by the Shadow Chancellor does just that. At a time when so many in Westminster are eager to put politics over policymaking, us Conservatives know that real leadership on the economy is more important than ever. We're delivering that leadership, and securing a stronger economic future for all in the process.

The contrast between my economic plans and the economic plans of the Chancellor is clear and incontrovertible. Whilst the government spends tens of billions of pounds more this year than last, flooding public services with cash with no reciprocal commitment to reform and raising the deficit in absolute terms, my plan is to cut the deficit by £18 billion in a single year, with £15 billion coming from spending cuts and the remaining £3 billion from tax changes including the removal of the VAT exemption on betting and gambling.

The Conservatives will eliminate the deficit by 2019 with a credible, rational and responsible programme of savings and sound fiscal management. The government's excessive fiscal laxity has led Britain into a position where it is at a serious risk of having its credit rating downgraded; where its economic policies are flying in the face of the European and global consensus that we need to get our debts down; and which has left the Chancellor unable to tell the House of Commons exactly when the deficit will be eliminated under Labour. It is shameful that the coalition has torn up its own deficit reduction commitments, and shocking that Britain today has a government prepared to pass the burden of excessive spending on to our children and our children's children.

Labour's current record suggests that, under Chancellor Calvin Ward, the deficit won't be eliminated until 2231. That's an absolutely shocking idea; that Britain will be spending more than it earns for another two hundred years. Well, let me tell you: long before that mystical date came to pass, and probably within the next five years, Britain's credit rating would be devalued. We would find it harder and harder to borrow. Unsustainable public spending would collapse around our ears, and we would find ourselves in a deep fiscal crisis driven by unrealistic and wasteful spending.

The Conservatives will eliminate the deficit within just five years, cutting £18 billion from the figure from day one and restoring balance to our nation's economic policy. As Chancellor of the Exchequer, I would ensure that nobody paid a penny in extra income tax, whilst leading Europe in deficit reduction rather than trailing it as the government have chosen to do. There is one credible option here, and one red herring: I know which side the British people are on.

UK condemns the cowardly attack on Bnei Torah Synagogue and mourns 5 person who have died in this attack. We are standing with people of Israel and Jewish people in UK and worldwide. I have personally called Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Obama to offer condolences, reiterate that UK stands by them and offered them any help we can offer. The government has also reached out synagogues and mosques around the UK for emergency security services if needed and also about general situation of safety of their worship places. As the intolerance towards Jewish and Muslim communities are increasing in UK and worldwide, this government and UK stands by these communities. We will work with communities, places of worship to make sure they are safe and secure from cowardly attacks be it in forms of bombs or anything else.

The Rt Hon Ariadne "Ari" Suchet MP
Member of Parliament for Holborn and St Pancras
The Prime Minister
Leader of the Labour Party

The Constitutional future of our United Kingdom is up in the air, I offered the Prime Minister talks which she accepted, and yet I have heard nothing further from her. The Scottish people voted to remain a part of the UK on the basis of a cross-party pitch to reform the constitutional settlement of the United Kingdom including more powers to Holyrood, these powers must be delivered which means cross-party talks to get behind them and get them off the ground. Beyond that the people of Wales and England deserve to know their constitutional futures. The appetite for more devolution to Wales has been growing steadily as well with Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru polling at their highest level for years whilst the appetite for English Votes for English Laws has grown equally rapidly. The Government has a duty to deliver on all of these devolutionary fronts but they have been silent, my message to the Prime Minister is to sort it out or make way for those of us who will.

The Conservative Party would like to add our deep sympathies and condolences to the Prime Minister's for the victims of the Synagogue attack in Israel. Antisemitism is on the rise masked as Anti-Zionism leading to growing Jew hatred not just across the World but in our own nation as well. We must be ready to confront Antisemitism in all its forms and wherever we find it, whether it be in synagogue attacks as seen this week in Israel or it be in more political attacks questioning the legitimacy of the existence of the State of Israel.

Following a Question Time where the blame for the Government's shambles over their Budget was passed back and forth between the Deputy Prime Minister and the Chancellor, the press most enjoyed the contributions of William Croft and Faye Gallacher, quotes of which made it into coverage of the QT row in their respective friendly newspapers.

On the subject of Ms Manning's mental health issues, the responses are judged in the traditional PolUK way for such matters: “Lovely”

+1 Media point for Croft and Gallacher

Week 10: Reform Bill, Cardigan's drinking

Outcome: Lib Dem walkover

Graham Adiputera gets banging the drum to publicise the Reform Bill, and the Lib Dems contribution to government generally. Political reform like changing the electoral system and an elected Lords are a big deal to a chunk of Lib Dem voters, who (along with their supportive papers) lap this up.

Alex Cardigan receives praise in the more thoughtful press for his response to the revelations of his drinking.

+1 point of his choice for Adiputera

Week 11: Shadow Chancellor's policy announcement

Outcome:Conservative walkover

Following the Shadow Chancellor's appearance in the Telegraph, the Tories follow up with a multi-pronged attack. The press particularly liked Charles Kinbote's comments on removing VAT exemption from gambling and betting. Other comments were dutifully wheeled out by friendly press. Douglas Byrne's challenge of the Chancellor to a TV debate is covered extensively, with some outlets (of both sides) relishing the idea, whilst others could hardly think of anything drearier. As time went on, the comments became increasingly samey, and the press got a little bored.

The sole other contribution has Faye Gallacher's railing against a homophobe as her Shadow. The issue and her comments were picked up in the liberal press, and got covered extensively on Pink News, though a little drowned out on other channels.

+1 point of their choice for Kinbote and Byrne

~~~ Posts from the PM's statement on the synagogue attack onwards will be covered in the next round of marking ~~~

The Government's intransigence over constitutional reform has become utterly unbearable and frankly unbecoming of a government in this situation. The Prime Minister made a commitment to the people of Scotland that she would work to pass new powers for Scotland and for their Parliament and she made a commitment to the British people and the House of Commons to work across party lines to achieve that. The fact that the government have continued to drag their heels and constantly refuse to even call a cross-party meeting shows just how little stock she put in those words and promises when she said them. The Conservative Party are committed to working with all parties to pass a sensible devolutionary settlement for the people of Scotland but if the Government do nothing we shall have to try our best to forge ahead without them.

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